Wednesday, May 7, 2014 | 5:30 PM
This weekend, May 10 and 11, the 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series presented by Maxxis, an AMA National Championship, makes its return to the legendary Loretta Lynn Ranch in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee for the 33rd running of the Parts Unlimited Loretta Lynn’s GNCC. With a three-race winning streak behind him, Chris Borich heads into the sixth round of the 13-race championship this Saturday with a commanding points lead over the XC1 Pro ATV class.
Team Maxxis’ Borich has captured four of the first five victories this season, with an additional third place finish at the second round. While Borich’s race results indicate that he’s once again the man to beat, the five-time champion hasn’t had it all that easy.
Sitting in second place in the championship standings, N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Walker Fowler has arguably been Borich’s biggest challenger of the season. Through the first five rounds, Fowler has consistently been a part of the lead battles, where he finished less than one second behind the champ at the last round. Fowler is the only other rider besides Borich to secure a win so far this season.
Precision/Maxxis Tires’ Chris Bithell bumped himself up in the championship standings with a solid podium finish at the last round. Bithell went scoreless at Round 3 due to mechanical issues, but the Pennsylvania native has otherwise been a consistent threat to both Borich and Fowler up front.
After five rounds, Bithell holds a three-point lead over RacingPowersports.com/CST Tires/PirateMX.com’s Adam McGill in the championship standings. Like Bithell, McGill failed to score points at a round early in the season, so the West Virginia native has been working his way back from an early deficit.
With four career victories at the Loretta Lynn’s GNCC, Borich is the only current XC1 Pro ATV competitor to hold wins at this event. This Saturday, riders like Fowler, Bithell and McGill will attempt to break Borich’s three-race winning streak to become the next unique winner at Loretta Lynn’s.
Last round, DWT Racing’s Jarrod McClure ended a consistent string of top five finishes after experiencing a mechanical issue late in the race. McClure’s consistency has landed the Pennsylvania native fifth place in the overall standings, where he will look to secure his first podium finish of the season this weekend in Tennessee.
DeRisi Racing/Team Woodhead’s Braden Henthorn currently sits in sixth place in the championship standings but will unfortunately miss Round 6 due to a recent jaw injury.
N-Fab AmPro Yamaha’s Cole Richardson holds seventh place in the overall standings. While Richardson is currently the highest placing XC2 Pro Am rider in the overall standings, it’s SICC Racing/Maxxis-backed Marshal Goings who tops the XC2 class championship after five rounds. Goings currently enjoys a three-race winning streak as the series heads to the sixth round this Saturday, but Richardson has his sights set on reclaiming the points lead that was once his earlier in the season.
SICC Racing’s Fred Marley has been the most consistent rider in the XC2 Pro Am class, capturing top five finishes at every round so far. Marley is the only rider inside the top three that hasn’t captured a win but the Indiana native is closer than ever.
In the 4x4 Pro class, Can-Am X-Team’s Kevin Trantham continues to lead the championship standings after a big win at the last round. Trantham is one of only two riders to secure multiple wins in the 4x4 Pro class, as teammate Jordan Phillips also has two wins behind him. However, with a DNF at the last round, Phillips sits back in the fifth place position in the overall standings.
ATV Parts Plus/Can-Am’s Bryan Buckhannon holds the second place position in the championship standings after five rounds of racing. Although Buckhannon has yet to capture a win, it’s the top five consistency that has kept the West Virginia native so close to the top in the championship points.
With one win under his belt, BNR Motorsports/Loctite Can-Am’s Robert Smith sits only five points back in the third place position, just ahead of Factory Polaris/Coldcock Whiskey’s Rick Cecco in fourth. Factory Polaris/UXC Racing’s Michael Swift sits in sixth place, while Can-Am rider Corry Savage holds the seventh place position.
Youth ATV racing will take place on Saturday at 8 a.m., followed by amateurs, 4x4 Pro and Women at 10 a.m., and the top amateurs and pros at 1 p.m. Following Saturday’s afternoon race, Round 4 of the 50cc Micro Championship will take place at 4:30 p.m.
Adult (12+) gate admission is $20 for the full weekend and $10 for kids (6-11). Kids five and under are free. All admission includes pro pit access. Local racers are invited to compete at this event, as GNCC Racing offers classes for riders of all skill and experience levels. The amateur racer entry fee is $40 and riders can sign up at the track.
Tune into RacerTV.com on Saturday at 2 p.m. EST / 1 p.m. CST to catch LIVE coverage of the Pro ATV race at Round 6. For more information on GNCC Live coverage, visit www.racertv.com.
The 2014 AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country Series resumes this weekend, May 10 and 11, with the Parts Unlimited Loretta Lynn’s GNCC. For more information on the series, visit www.gnccracing.com.
Stay up-to-date with exclusive content from the AMSOIL GNCC Series by following the series Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Previous Round Results:
Dunlop Limestone 100 GNCC
Springville, Ind.
Round 5 of 13
Saturday, April 26
XC1 Event Results:
- Chris Borich (SUZ)
- Walker Fowler (YAM)
- Chris Bithell (SUZ)
- Adam McGill (HON)
- Brian Wolf (HON)
- Brycen Neal (HON)
- Braden Henthorn (HON)
- Josh Merritt (YAM)
- Johnny Gallagher (YAM)
- Kevin Yoho (YAM)
*Overall National Championship Standings:
- Chris Borich (141)
- Walker Fowler (107)
- Chris Bithell (85)
- Adam McGill (82)
- Jarrod McClure (73)
- Braden Henthorn (61)
- Cole Richardson (59)
- Brycen Neal (55)
- Marshal Goings (46)
- Josh Merritt (45)
*Indicates that the Overall National Championship Standings will determine the 2014 National Champion.
XC2 Event Results:
- Marshal Goings (HON)
- Cole Richardson (YAM)
- Kevin Cunningham (HON)
- Fred Marley (HON)
- Martin Christofferson (HON)
- Randy Hamilton (HON)
- James Green (HON)
- Steven Cunningham (HON)
- Luke Upah (HON)
- Jonathan Fugate (HON)
XC2 Series Standings:
- Marshal Goings (125)
- Cole Richardson (110)
- Fred Marley (103)
- Martin Christofferson (90)
- Thomas Koontz (72)
- James Green (70)
- Randy Hamilton (68)
- Brody Livengood (61)
- Blake Kramer (58)
- Jonathan Fugate (56)
About GNCC Racing
The AMSOIL Grand National Cross Country series presented by Maxxis is America's premier off-road racing series. Founded in 1975, the 13-round championship is produced exclusively by Racer Productions. Cross-country racing is one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. The grueling three-hour GNCC races lead as many as 1,500 riders through tracks ranging in length from eight to 12 miles. With varied terrain, including hills, woods, mud, dirt, rocks and motocross sections, GNCC events are tests of both survival and speed. The series draws talent from all over the U.S., Europe, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. GNCC Racing is televised weekly on NBC Sports and RacerTV.com. For more information, please visit www.gnccracing.com.